Live wells are water tanks found on many fishing boats. The tank includes water to keep fish and bait alive. The bait and fish release waste into the water of the live well, causing the water to become dirty and potentially unsafe for the fish and bait in the live well. Live wells accordingly include a feed system that adds and circulates fresh water within the live well and a drain system that removes stale water from the live well to keep the water in the live well circulating and as clean as possible. The feed and drain system constantly replaces the water in the live well to remove organic waste and keep a healthy habitat for the animals within the live well.
However, typical live well drain systems remove water only from the upper portion of the live well tank with an overflow drain, similar to a conventional sink or skimmer. As water is added by the feed system, the water level rises until it meets an overflow drain located near the top of the live well and attached to the drain system. The water then spills into the drain system through this hole, creating a generally consistent water level due to the incoming water from the feed system and the outgoing water from the overflow hole.
However, because fish and organic waste is typically denser than water, the water drained through the overflow hole at the top of the live well tank only removes a small portion of the waste and leaves the remaining waste in the bottom portion of the live well. The buildup of this waste causes the lower portion of the live well to become a toxic environment for the animals held within and can often cause the fish and bait to die or become unhealthy.